Mirror Project
by doodlegirll
Summary: When a horrible storm strands them in Edwardian England, the Doctor and Rose are forced to stay the night at a small, seemingly harmless inn. But things are not always as they seem, and the Doctor and his companion soon find themselves dealing with an inn full of previous guests that never left. Will they be next? 10/Rose
1. Prologue

**I haven't written a Doctor Who fanfic in quite a while, though I am still in the middle of writing one currently (however, it's coauthored, and I have been unable to get into contact with my coauthor for quite some time...so it's on hold until I can get some sort of news). I promised one of my besties that I would write her a DW fic one day, and so I am writing this for her for Christmas this year. :) She and I have written a DW fic together in the past ("The Doctor Creates a Yearbook") when we were still juniors in high school, and had a blast. So if you see the name Lacey in this story, that's homage to her! :)**

**I hope you all enjoy!**

**OH! And pretend "Doomsday" and "Journey's End" never happened, because REALLY, they just mucked more things up than they fixed!**

**_Disclaimer: __I own nothing. However, Alexandra Corrico happens to be a real person - I go to school with her - and she graciously allowed me to borrow her name. :) _  
**

* * *

**Mirror Project**

A "Doctor Who" fanfiction

By _doodlegirll_

_For Lacey – Merry Christmas!_

…oOo…

Prologue

-March 14th, 1910-

Fifteen year old Alexandra Corrico had never liked thunderstorms. When she was a little girl, she used to run and hide in her father's study, underneath his desk. She had always felt safe there, where it smelled strongly of him – the tobacco from his pipe, the sandalwood soap he used, and, of course, books.

But her father wasn't here. He was still back in London, with her mother and little sister, Elizabeth. She was here all alone, and she had nowhere to run.

Thunder reverberated through her small room, lighting bouncing off the windowpane like a ball, casting its terribly bright spell. Alexandra shuddered, and shuffled the duvet of the bed up over her head. She closed her eyes tightly, and covered her ears with the palms of her hands, willing the storm to pass by quickly so that she could get the rest she needed for her trip the following morning to Cardiff, where she and her brother, Cato, were meeting her aunt to stay for a few weeks in preparation for the upcoming birth of their new cousin.

Another rumble of thunder shook the frame of her bed, and Alexandra curled herself into a tighter ball.

Oh what she would give to be back in her own bed at home in London! The inn where she and Cato had stopped for the night in the vast English countryside was small, and quant and she had found it easy to feel comfortable there, until this storm had begun to brew, blasting itself against the glass of her window relentlessly.

Alexandra bolted upright at the sound of a loud banging against her door. She stared, her eyes wide, at it, and yet another loud thump against the wood clashed with the flash of lightning outside.

"Hello?" She called, her voice shaking slightly. "Is anyone there?"

_Thump!_

"Is anyone there?" She called again.

"Alright, this isn't funny! Stop it!"

_Thump thump thump!_

"Cato, is that you? Go back to bed, you big bully!"

_Thump! _

Alexandra threw back the covers and grabbed her shawl from the desk chair. She hurried towards the door as the thumping continued, undid the lock, and furiously yanked the door inwards.

"Cato, you stop that right now!"

But there was no one at the door.

Confused, Alexandra stepped out into the hallway.

"Hello?" She called quietly. "Who's there?"

_Thump! _

The sound came from further down the hallway this time, and Alexandra jumped as another lightning struck somewhere close by outside. Tugging her shawl tightly around her shoulders, she took a few cautious steps towards the source of the sound.

"Cato, I'm serious! Stop it!"

Her only reply was yet another _thump. _

Alexandra growled, beginning to feel the effects of very little sleep, and stomped her way down the hall.

The thumping continued, moving down the corridors of the quiet inn. She followed them, intent on catching her annoying brother in the act so that she could go to sleep. He was eighteen, for goodness sakes! Much too old to be playing childish jokes on his sister in the middle of the night.

She entered the small pantry towards the middle of the inn, and paused to listen for the thumping above the thunder and rain pounding against the windowpanes. She heard it again, this time more faintly, coming from the adjacent hall to her left, opposite the one she had just come from. She turned towards it and tiptoed after it.

"Cato, you stop this right now! You're going to wake the innkeeper!" She hissed in the dark.

_Thump! _

It was louder this time, and coming from inside one of the rooms to her right. Alexandra wondered for a moment if she had been mistaken, and it was perhaps a cat or large rodent that had somehow made its way behind the walls and was simply searching for a way out. She carefully set her hand on the doorknob, and turned, fully expecting to confront her brother hiding within, and scold the grin she knew he would have plastered from ear to ear off of his face.

When she opened the door, however, she was surprised to find not the tall figure of her brother, but the shorter figure of a woman.

The room was completely unfurnished, the walls bare of any decorations. The wallpaper had begun to peel at the corners, and there was a large crack in the ceiling.

In front of the silhouette of the woman stood the room's only other standing structure: a full length mirror.

The woman didn't seem to notice as Alexandra stepped into the room, the floorboards creaking beneath her weight. It was incredibly obvious that while the rest of the inn was well-kept and clean, this room had not seen a much needed renovation in many, many years.

"Hello?" Alexandra called softly to the woman. "Are you alright?"

Lightning flashed yet again, but the woman did not turn around.

"Excuse me," Alexandra tried again. "Are you the one banging on my door?"

The woman did not move. She seemed absolutely fixated on the mirror before her.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Alexandra stepped closer to the woman. "Have you been the one rapping my door?"

As she neared the woman, she reached out a hand and placed it carefully on her shoulder. The woman did not seem to notice Alexandra's gentle touch, so Alexandra moved ever closer, and turned the woman away from the mirror so she could see her properly.

It was then she noticed that this was not a woman at all.

A grotesque, twisted expression adorned the figure's face, and her eyes were dark pits with tiny pinpoints of red as pupils. It had rows of sharp, pointed fangs instead of teeth, and it let out an inhuman growl as it took notice of Alexandra.

Alexandra reeled back, screaming as she did so. She stumbled as she backed away from the figure, who had set its beady red eyes upon her, and it stalked after her with an otherworldly gait.

"Stay back!" Alexandra yelled. "Help! Someone help me!"

She turned to run out the door, but it slammed shut just as she reached it, and she grabbed the knob, jiggling it furiously.

"No! No no no!" She said as she desperately began to bang on the door. "Help! Someone, please, help me! _Help me!_"

The creature behind her let out another growl as it neared her, and Alexandra pressed herself as close to the door as she could as yet another bolt of lightning illuminated the night sky.

The creature was upon her now, and it reached out with a boney hand and grabbed her, the flesh hot and putrid against her skin, like an boiled frog. Alexandra shrieked again and clawed at the hand that held tightly to her wrist as it turned back to face the mirror, dragging her towards it.

"Let me go!" She screamed. "Someone please help!"

But no one could hear her above the clamor of the thunderstorm outside. The innkeepers and Cato were still fast asleep in their beds, and they would wake up tomorrow to find her gone, and never know what happened to her here, with this…_beast. _

Her heart hammered in her chest as the creature waved a hand in front of the mirror, and the reflective surface shimmered and rippled for a moment, as though a stone had been tossed into a still pond. Alexandra continued to try to wrench her way out of the creature's grasp, but it held tightly onto her, refusing to allow her to leave.

"What are you doing?!" Alexandra gasped as she noticed the mirror had stopped swirling, and the creature took a step forward. "Let me go!"

But the creature didn't let her go. Instead, it took another step forward, casting a look over its shoulder at her, its red eyes suddenly very, very large.

And then, it lurched forward, plunging them both into the liquidized surface of the mirror, just as Alexandra opened her mouth to scream one last time.

The thunderstorm suddenly stopped.

* * *

**-cue theme music!-**

**~Robin**


	2. Time Warp

**Here's chapter two! I hope you find it interesting. :) **

**I hope I've done a well enough job with my descriptions of 1910! I'm making sure I do my homework and research as I go, but I do have a tendency to miss things, so please bear with me! **

**Enjoy!**

**_Disclaimer: __I own nothing. However, Alexandra Corrico happens to be a real person (and she has granted me permission to use her name!), and "The Lacey Robin" is totally a shout out to my friend Lacey, to whom this story is dedicated, and our own adventures with the Doctor over the years. 3_  
**

* * *

**Mirror Project**

A "Doctor Who" fanfiction

By _doodlegirll_

_For Lacey _

…oOo…

**Chapter One**

**-March 15th, 1910-**

_It's just a jump to the left!_

_And then a step to the riiiiight!_

_Put your hands on your hips!_

_And pull your knees in tight!_

_But it's the pelvic thrust _

_That really drives you insaaaaane! _

_LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN! _

Rose Tyler shook her head as she hitched the hem of her skirt high above her ankles as she stepped over yet another array of rocks that dotted the grassy meadow that stretched out before her. That silly song had been stuck in her head _all day_, ever since she and the Doctor had listened to it during a rest in the time vortex before they had ended up here, in the outskirts of Edwardian London.

"You know, the planet Transsexual actually exists, in the galaxy of Transylvania." The Doctor had mused. He scrunched his nose. "I went there once. Not something I'd like to experience again, thanks!"

And thus, Rose had begun humming the Time Warp, which she found rather fitting whilst in the TARDIS, a time machine, and the Doctor had managed to find it in his nearly limitless collection of music, and the two had nearly laughed themselves into comas in the process of dancing.

"I was the one that invented the Time Warp." The Doctor said once they were done as he ran a hand through his tousled hair.

"No way, get out!" Rose said, not believing it one bit.

"No, really, I did!" The Doctor insisted. "I created it, spur of the moment as a means of distracting them so I could escape before they dressed _me _in drag and forced me to dance the hula! Mind you…I'm not horrible at dancing, but the hula is a no-go."

Rose laughed.

Not long after, they had found themselves docked in 1910, and the Doctor had proposed they walk into town. Rose, not wanting a repeat of what had happened in 1879 when encountering Queen Victoria in her overalls, had found an time appropriate dress in the wardrobe room of a dark emerald green, and had changed into it, but allowed her short blonde hair to remain down.

However, when the Doctor said a "walk into town," what he had _really _meant was a five mile trek. Luckily, a passing farmer had taken pity on them and given them a ride in the back of his wagon.

The trip into town had been pleasant and uneventful, allowing Rose and the Doctor some much needed quiet time in which they were not forced to run for their lives. But now the day was quickly coming to an end, and dark was approaching fast, hastened by the ominously dark clouds overhead, and they had been unable to hitch a ride back to the TARDIS, and were thusly forced to go on foot. While Rose had walked further in her travels with the Doctor before, she had _not _done so in the boots of the Edwardian woman, and she was absolutely positive the blisters on her feet were forming their own blisters, her toes pinched and unable to move. She was quite sure she would never forgive the Doctor for this, especially if those storm clouds decided to let loose before they got back to the TARDIS.

"Doctor," she said, grabbing his hand and entwining her fingers with his. "I _really _don't like the looks of those clouds. How much longer til we reach the TARDIS?"

"Not far." The Doctor said. "See, look there! We passed that inn on our way into town! Not far now!"

"How far is 'not far,' exactly?" Rose dared as she felt a fat raindrop plop onto the end of her nose.

"Ooh, I dunno…another mile or two?" The Doctor said, looking up at the sky. "We might be able to make it if we run…"

At that very moment, the sky broke loose, and rain fell by the bucketfuls onto the duo. Rose glared at the Doctor, who rubbed the back of his neck and tugged at his ear nervously.

"Never was good at predicting the weather…" He said.

Rose gave a growl of annoyance, and shook her head. "Look, you can walk back to the TARDIS if you want." She said. "But I'm going to the inn. At the very least, we can wait until the weather lets up."

"Fair enough." The Doctor said. He grinned at her suddenly, his eyes sparkling. "Race ya!"

Rose couldn't help but let herself laugh at his enthusiasm, her annoyance beginning to ebb away despite the way her makeup was undoubtedly running down her face and the chill that bit into her with every new drop of rain. She hitched up her skirt to her knees and ran after the Time Lord as he sprinted in the direction of the inn.

"Hey! Wait up!" She yelled after him.

"Not a chance, Miss Tyler!" The Doctor called back gleefully.

_I'm so going to get him for this,_ Rose thought, not unamused.

Finally, she caught up to the Doctor a few yards away from the entrance to the inn, pausing to catch her breath for a moment before she slipped her hand into his.

"That was completely unfair, that was!" She said. "You cheated!"

"Oi, I did not!" The Doctor protested. "I just…had a head start, that's all!"

Rose bumped herself into him playfully. "You did so! Have _you _ever tried running in a dress and these shoes? It's torture!" The Doctor opened his mouth to reply, but Rose shook her head. "You know what, forget it. Can we just get inside? It's _freezing _out here!"

The two of them, still hand in hand, walked towards the door, where a sign hung that read "The Lacey Robin," and the Doctor quickly opened it and ushered them both inside, shutting it against the elements quickly.

"Whoo, what a storm!" He said, grinning as he looked at Rose. He ran his hands through his drenched hair, spiking it back to its normal, ruffled look.

"I'll say…" Rose looked around the room where they now found themselves. It was lit well enough with gas lamps in small units high on the walls. A merry fire was going in the fireplace next to a few ottomans and couches. The room spelled of lilac and fresh linen, and of old books. As the warmth of the room began to set in, Rose shivered involuntarily and sneezed.

"Here," the Doctor said gently as he put his long coat around her shoulders. "Go sit by the fire and warm up. I'll go find the owner."

Rose nodded, and did as she was told. Sitting herself down on one of the couches, she held out her hands, which we slightly numb, towards the fire. The floorboards creaked as the Doctor walked across them towards the hallway at their left.

"Hello?" He called. "Is anyone here?"

No one answered. After a moment, the Doctor shrugged, and made his way to sit next to Rose on the couch by the fire.

"Wonder where everyone is…" Rose mused, finally beginning to feel warm.

"They can't be far." The Doctor said. "They could be in the stables I saw out back on our way into town. Or they could be sleeping. Rainy weather does that to humans for some reason."

"Well, it's not like they popped down to the local pub for a quick drink." Rose said. "We're in the middle of nowhere."

There was the sound of shuffling, and before long, a man came striding into the parlor. Behind him was a boy of about eighteen with dark brown hair and blue eyes, his eyebrows furrowed in anger. The man appeared to be in his mid to late fifties, and he did not look amused as the boy at his side chattering in his ear. The two of them did not appear to notice the Doctor and Rose at the fireplace as they crossed the room towards the door.

"How could she just _disappear?!_" He demanded of the man. "I know my sister quite well, Mr. Billings, and she would _not _just hop out for a stroll in the middle of the night, and especially not in the middle of a thunderstorm! She's absolutely terrified of them! She wouldn't go out in one if her life depended on it!"

The man, Mr. Billings, sighed and turned to face the boy.

"Look, Mr. Corrico, I am deeply sorry about the disappearance of your sister, but I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. It isn't my problem."

It was then he took note of the Doctor and Rose. He looked over the boy's shoulder at them surprisingly.

"Yes, hello!" The Doctor said, hopping to his feet. "I'm the Doctor and this is Rose. Sorry to pop in so unexpectedly but the weather out there is absolutely deplorable."

Mr. Billings, unsure what to say, blinked for a moment before shaking his head and stepping forward to shake the Doctor's hand.

"I apologize!" He said. "I did not hear you come in! I was attending to some business." He stepped back and clapped his palms together. "What can I do for you, Doctor…?"

"Just the Doctor." The Doctor said. "And I was hoping you could let us stay here until the storm outside passes? We have a bit of a walk before we reach our, er…next stop." Thunder rumbled outside, rattling the glass of the windows slightly.

"Of course, of course!" Mr. Billings said cheerfully. "Are you interesting in a room, by chance? These storms rarely pass quickly. You'll likely be here all night by the looks of it."

The Doctor's eyebrows rose. "Really?" He said. "Those storms must be pretty powerful if they last all night. How often do you see them around here?"

Before Mr. Billings could answer, the boy at his side jumped into the conversation.

"There was one just last night! It last well into the night, until about four this morning when it finally stopped. They're the fiercest storms you'll ever see, sir, I assure you." He shook his head, and brought his hand to his forehead. "And my little sister went missing during it last night. We don't know anything more."

"How old is you sister?" The Doctor asked.

"She's but fifteen, sir." The boy answered. "And she's absolutely petrified of thunderstorms, ever since she was a little girl, sir. I don't know what happened to her, but I believe she was kidnapped."

"Why do you say that?" Mr. Billings interjected. "I told you, no one took you sister! I'm sure she left on her own!"

"Someone could have easily slipped inside the inn without your or anyone else's knowing under the cover of the thunder is why, Mr. Billings!" The boy thundered, clearly infuriated with the middle aged man's indifference to his sister's disappearance.

The Doctor held up his hand.

"Now hold on a tick," he said. He looked at the boy. "First of all, what's your name?"

"Cato, sir. Cato Corrico. My sister's name is Alexandra."

"Cato, then." The Doctor said. "When was the last time you saw your sister?"

"Last night, around ten o'clock in the evening." Cato answered. "She came to my room and bid me goodnight."

"And you're sure she went back to her own room?"

Cato nodded. "We were just down the hall from one another. I heard her door close."

The Doctor nodded. "And you didn't hear her door open at any time last night?"

Cato shook his head. "No, sir. That storm was loud enough to wake the dead."

"Right then!" The Doctor said. His expression was serious. "I promise, I'm going to help you find your sister. If she's anywhere around here, I'll find her." Thunder boomed overhead, and the Doctor glanced up at the ceiling. "And that's no ordinary storm. I'm picking up faint traces of electromagnetic energy here in this hotel, and I think it might be related to that storm. They're far too powerful for this time of year in this region, don't you think?"

He turned towards Mr. Billings. "Right! If you would please show me and Rose to our room, we'd be happy to leave you alone for a while!"

"Oh! Of course, sir." Mr. Billings hurried behind the counter and pulled out a metal box, retrieving a key inside. "If you'll follow me…"

The Doctor and Rose went to follow Mr. Billings down the hall. Cato reached out a hand and grabbed Rose by the arm.

"Miss, you'd best be careful." He whispered to her. "There's something strange about this inn. Be safe, you and the Doctor."

Rose nodded. "Thank you, Cato. We'll find Alexandra, don't worry."

Cato didn't say anything, but he thinned his lips and nodded.

"Thank you."

Rose watched him turn on his heel and walk away from her, back towards the hall from which he and Mr. Billings had come. She then turned and hurried to catch up to the Doctor, grabbing his hand.

No matter how reassuring his presence was, Rose couldn't shake the feeling that Cato was right, and that this inn – and its innkeeper – had some secrets hiding in the walls, and she hoped that she wouldn't have to find out what they were.


End file.
